Town to control Billerica's Vining in 2019

Tuesday

With a closing date determined and no new educational prospects on the horizon, the Vining Elementary School will change hands in 2019.

At a meeting Nov. 13, the School Committee voted unanimously to hand the elementary school over to the town when it closes in fall 2019.

“There’s not a viable educational use beyond it closing in June 2019,” said Superintendent Tim Piwowar.

Piwowar said the committee always intended to make a decision early to allow time to plan next uses for the space.

“The goal here was always to make our decision early enough so the Board of Selectmen could be responsive and think about it in context,” he said. “The goal was to never have the Vining befell the same fate as the old Ditson.

A committee is likely to be formed in the coming months to discuss the future of the property before any decisions are made.

As part of the School Committee vote, the members suggested the space be kept in town control for municipal services.

There have been suggestions by town personnel and residents in recent months that the property could serve as a recreation resource for the town, but no proposals have been made.

“This is the right thing to do, this is what we promised from the beginning,” said School Committee member Mark Efstratiou on turning over the school.

The town is currently undergoing future development planning at numerous sites across Billerica, and can now include the Vining in that discussion.

The old Ditson School, Cabot Land, and DPW site present numerous opportunities for current and future Billerica residents, but how they’ll be utilized is still unclear.